Do you really want to go with the standard, elegant yes, but boring, white wedding invitation? Why not go for something a little exotic, something different, unique and richly traditional? The perfect wedding invitation may be one that is inspired by unique wedding invitations and traditions from around the world.
People come in all shapes and forms, from all cultures and countries. While everyone looks similar, they also look as different from night and day. Is this bad? No, certainly not, these are differences we should embrace, celebrate, share and teach. We need to celebrate our differences and our similarities – and what better place to do that than at a wedding.
Indeed, today, it is the modern young couple who is most eager to celebrate the customs of their ancestors, their homelands, or even adopt ancient customs they like as their own, and share this with others in the most important ceremony and act of life: The Wedding.
So what do you do when you want culturally rich wedding invitations?
Study Up
First off, you need to study up on interesting wedding traditions, activities and customs. This helps you come up with a unique and spectacular idea for a wedding invitation.
Start the Easy Way
Before you decide to add every cultural tradition you can think of to your wedding invitation, it’s important that you first define your wedding style, and then use this style throughout.
So for instance, if you decide you like the Japanese wedding tradition, that of adding red to the bride and groom’s attire and including the colour in wedding accessories, then you might use this colour on the invitation as well. Why Red? Well apparently red is the color of success, of affluence and wealth, and Japanese, Chinese and even Indian women wear a red bridal dress instead of the traditionally western styled white dress.
Think About the Costs
Remember cards can come in all shapes and sizes. There are circular, oblong, square and even three dimensional cards that form a certain shape (like a gift box.) However, when choosing your invitation, you’ll also want to consider postage and ease of delivery as these costs can increase when an invitation is a little out of the ordinary. Need help trying to create visually dynamic and culturally interesting wedding invitations, look through the wedding brochure printing options created by Print-Print.co.uk or a similar quality printing company. Print-Print can also offer next day delivery on certain items, which is great if you end up in a hurry.
Traditional Motif
A superb solution might be to use a cultural motif in the invitation. You could use colours that are significant in the culture you come from.
You could use motifs from Africa, South America, the Middle East or anywhere, and this is done with graphics or by using a specific colour. Â For instance, you could use calligraphy or print the information on a scroll-like paper, roll it up and place it in a bottle.
Use of Words
Words are especially important when explaining a certain tradition or ceremony. Once you’ve chosen an invitation colour that goes with your wedding theme or tradition. Offer an insert in the invitation that explains some of the wedding traditions in your culture. You could write these in your native language, and then translate them bellow. You can even hire a calligrapher to hand write these precious traditions.
Unsure of what these traditions might be? You are only a step or two from finding out. Just look online for wedding traditions in the country of choice and then use these to create culturally diverse wedding invitations. Below you’ll find a few.
- Africa- Wedding – The onset of fast rhythmic music announces the joyous arrival of the bride.
- Armenia – Weddings usually take place in the fall and on Friday. At the ceremony the godmother collects money from the guests as a gift to the couple. In exchange, she offers dried nuts and fruits a symbol of abundance.
- China- The colour of choice here is red. Red dress, red ribbons, red vest.
- Czech Republic – here the guests throw peas instead of rice after the couple leaves the wedding chapel.
Inserted Items
To share your culturally inspired wedding spirit, you can do as some countries like Mexico, where a wedding godparent will place the icon of a special, or a small favour (a gift box, flower, or even a symbol of the rings) in the invitation. This offers both the guests and the bride and groom special protection during the ceremony, and it gives them a memento with which to remember the wedding.
Play with the Shape and Size of the Invitations
Typically a wedding card is about 4.5-inches-by-6.25-inches, but if you are going for that truly unique world wedding style then play around with the size and shape. Channel modern vibes into a circular card; or maybe a square invitation; in some cases a scalloped or curved card might work.
A distinct cultural wedding and invitation can awe your guests. Just make sure that whatever motif or design you choose b
